A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 90.1

Lin Yin mustered all her strength, charging with overwhelming momentum towards the slightly ajar wooden door. In an instant, Chen Liangyu, bracing against Xie Wenjun’s back, exerted force, pulling her towards the inner side of the luohan couch, hiding her completely under the quilt, muffled and secure.

However, the door was not smashed open, and Lin Yin’s impact was not heard.

Pu Ping’er blocked the entrance, standing in front of the door and stopping Lin Yin. “How could the Grand General be assassinated that easily?”

Lin Yin said, “Why not? Zhai Ji is still in Yongdu.”

Pu Ping’er countered, “Shouldn’t you be worried about Zhai Ji’s life first?”

Lin Yin said, “If he dies, so be it. What’s there to worry about? If he dies, we’ll have fewer battles to fight. Why are you stopping me? Quickly, smash the door open. If the person still has a breath left, they might still be saved.”

Pu Ping’er said, “I didn’t hear any sounds of fighting.”

“Oh, right.”

There were no sounds of fighting in the room. If it was an assassination, it must have been a single, fatal blow. But what kind of assassin could kill Chen Liangyu in one move, leaving no trace or sound, giving her no time to retaliate?

That was likely impossible.

Moreover, the temple grounds were guarded by the personal troops who had returned with Chen Liangyu from the northern border to Yongdu. Rong Jun was leading the Changning Guards to surround the Yongning Hall, where the spirit tablet of Empress Huixian was enshrined, three layers deep. It was unlikely for an assassin to have infiltrated the area.

Lin Yin said, “We should at least go in and take a look, just in case…”

She made a move to push the door.

Pu Ping’er shifted her body, blocking her again. “Don’t ‘just in case’ it. If you break the door, where will the Grand General rest tonight? You should first go to the Yongning Hall and check if the Grand General and the Grand Princess are there.”

Lin Yin thought for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll go to the Yongning Hall and ask. You stay here and guard the door, don’t leave.” With that, she dashed off with quick, hurried steps.

Pu Ping’er turned, bowed her head facing the door of the monk’s cell, steadying herself. Then she bowed, “Grand General, if there are no further instructions, this subordinate will take her leave.”

A moment of silence passed inside the door.

“You may withdraw.”

Pu Ping’er straightened up. “Understood.”

The thick black shadow on the door quietly vanished, leaving only the clear moonlight to fall unchecked.

Chen Liangyu pulled the person buried under the quilt out, hastily smoothed her own disheveled robes, casually tying the belt. The single silk quilt remained wrapped around Xie Wenjun. “You are too bold. Were you not afraid they would actually force the door open?”

Xie Wenjun asked, “And what if they did?”

Chen Liangyu got out of bed, lit a matchstick, and ignited two candles, making the monk’s cell bright. She picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, folded them quickly, and placed them at the head of the bed. Then she turned to look for clothes to wear. The outer robe she was currently wearing was missing a button at the lapel, so she needed to change.

“And what if they did?”

That was a good question, and Chen Liangyu didn’t know what would happen either.

She pulled out a rouge-colored robe embroidered with a flying eagle from her bundle, turned her back to the luohan couch, and proceeded to take off her outer robe.

Xie Wenjun walked over to the towel rack next to the door. On it was a copper basin holding half a basin of clean water. She scooped up water to wash her hands. “They are your own people. Don’t you trust them?”

As she spoke, Chen Liangyu had already changed her clothes and fastened the uppermost silver button on her collar. “I naturally trust A’Yin and Ping’er. Even if they saw something with their own eyes, they wouldn’t spread rumors. But this kind of matter is not suitable to be shown in public.”

She had to hurry to the Platform for Seeking Enlightenment, or the lapse would become too obvious.

After a moment’s thought, she realized what was the point of worrying about any lapses? The secret was already practically out. Among the few people present at the temple today, only Lin Yin, the silly girl with half a brain, hadn’t fully figured it out. The rest— Pu Ping’er, Yuan Rong, Dai Qing, and even Rong Jun—while keeping their mouths tightly shut, all tacitly guarded a common secret.

Who else was there to hide it from?

Chen Liangyu turned around and saw Xie Wenjun drying her hands with the white silk cloth from the rack after washing them. She was standing in front of a pile of clothes at the head of the bed, sifting and flipping through them, then put down the garment she was holding.

Chen Liangyu asked, “Are there no clothes that suit Your Highness’s taste?”

These skirts, tunics, and robes had all been prepared by Yuan Rong, so there shouldn’t have been any mistake.

Xie Wenjun said, “This Princess requires attendance when changing clothes.”

Chen Liangyu had no choice but to walk over, shake out a thin gauze under-tunic, and swiftly pull it onto Xie Wenjun. She inadvertently made Xie Wenjun’s hair fly around. After smoothing her hair, her undergarments became disarranged. After a bit of fiddling, everything was finally neat. Next was the upper garment. Just as she was about to put on the last, slightly thicker long skirt made of brocade, Xie Wenjun led her to the door of the monk’s cell. Before Chen Liangyu could understand what was happening, a strong force pushed her out from behind.

“Your Highness?”

Chen Liangyu leaned her face towards the door, and with a clang, the two door panels mercilessly slammed shut in front of her. “So you don’t need attendance anymore?”

What a bad habit, kicking someone out at the drop of a hat.

Chen Liangyu noticed a short, shifting shadow nearby. Looking closely, Pu Ping’er was squatting not far away, half-concealed by a clump of shrubs. Seeing Chen Liangyu look over, she quickly explained, “This subordinate was worried someone might pass by here, or that A’Yin would return quickly.”

Chen Liangyu calmly uttered an “En,” her emotions unreadable. She glanced at the lit monk’s cell, wondering how long it would take Xie Wenjun to change, and then walked to the other side of the shrubs, squatting down next to Pu Ping’er.

Before long, Lin Yin indeed rushed back in a flurry. She screeched to a halt near the shrubs and asked Pu Ping’er, “Why are you squatting here? I checked the Yongning Hall. The Grand General and the… Grand Princess are not there.”

She finally seemed to notice the rouge-colored figure on the other side of the shrubs. “Grand General? Where did you go? Where is the Grand Princess? I called for a long time outside your room just now, and no one was inside. Why are you with Ping’er now?”

Lin Yin asked a string of questions. Even if Chen Liangyu wanted to answer, she wouldn’t know where to start.

Truthfully, Chen Liangyu had no intention of responding to her.

Lin Yin’s eyes were caught by a flash of rouge. She asked again, “When did you change your clothes? You weren’t wearing this during the day, were you?”

Chen Liangyu felt a buzzing in her head. “Ping’er.”

Pu Ping’er stood up. “This subordinate is present.”

Chen Liangyu pointed at Lin Yin. “Drag her away and execute her.”

“Understood.”

And so, Lin Yin, confused and with a head full of question marks, was forcefully dragged away by Pu Ping’er.

On the Platform for Seeking Enlightenment, the bright moon hung high overhead, and the mountains and rivers came into view beneath their feet.

The Abbot had ordered the young monks to bring up several jars of wine. Lin Yin, her craving for alcohol piqued, pulled Pu Ping’er aside to play a drinking game. “The moon isn’t even full today, what’s so great about looking at it? Come, come, it’s rare to be free from military rules, let’s enjoy ourselves.” She then asked Yuan Rong and Dai Qing, “Mistresses, join us.”

After Xie Wenjun nodded her assent, Yuan Rong and Dai Qing also took seats on two sides of the square table.

Xie Wenjun took the character “moon” and allowed them to play.

Yuan Rong recited a line: “The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, magpies fly south.”

Since the word “moon” was the first character in this line, the next line should have “moon” as the second character.

Dai Qing immediately followed with: “In the seventh moon fire stars descend, in the ninth moon clothes are distributed.”

Pu Ping’er paused briefly, then said: “The deep moonlight shines on half the household, the Northern Dipper is askew and the Southern Dipper slants.”

Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun did not join their merriment. They sat in the center of the main hall on the Platform for Seeking Enlightenment. The roof of the hall had a wooden frame opening in the middle of the vertical-bar lattice window. The four sides were arranged with vertical slats, unpapered, serving as a skylight open to the sky, allowing them to look up at the moon.